Spring fever...literally

 I love spring I really do but along with all the beautiful blooms comes allergies...which I suffer from a bit more with my lupus. There are those menopausal type weather days...30 degrees to 80 to 50 ...hot and cold. Colds are abundant as well as flus and viruses. In any case I am starting to want to learn more about extracts and their uses and maybe even how to make them. My mom had just recently come down with a virus. A nasty one that has been going around. Now my youngest appears to have it as well and last night I started getting the horrible sore throat. I have a friend who mentioned olive leaf oil just a few minutes ago and since this chimed right in with my new interest in extracts I looked it up. I am not sure if I can find it here locally though I hope to. I did find this interesting article though on how to make your own: how to make olive leaf extract in a slowcooker Hmmm wonder if olive trees will grow in Oklahoma? Of course I had to look this up also right now. Apparently the young trees are susceptible to cold but someone wrote about growing them in a place where it got down to -9 In their experiment adult olive trees could withstand certain temps with Mission and Ascolona trees surviving that temp. Why Olive leaf oil? Because apparently it is not only an antibiotic it is also an antiviral. That thing where when you go to the dr. and they say "Oh I'm sorry it is a virus and there is nothing you can take or do other than sit it out" Yeah that. I am seriously tempted to try it. On another note I bought some clove oil for my husband for a dental infection and it did relieve the pain and infection seems to have gone away.  I have also been trying to use my plant book and learn what different plants we have around here and their uses. We are also starting an herb garden and soon to finish a portable chicken run so they can get more grass and bugs while it is nice out. I shall return to blog more later but for now have some things to get done.